New York City, bay-bee!
So, we made it to New York. 15 hours and 35 minutes later. This plane travel business is exhausting.
Tuesday
We splurged a bit in New York. When we arrived, we arranged a limo to get us from JFK to our hotel in Chelsea. We were upgraded to a stretch. It was ostentatious. It was garish. We were riding in a stretch limo in NEW YORK CITY!
We were staying at the STANDARD High Line. It is a very cool hotel.
It’s Hudson-adjacent and surrounded by cool cafés, restaurants and bars.
We arrived late, so we went straight to bed.
Wednesday
Jetlag kicked in well and truly this morning. We both woke up at 4AM. But, New York never sleeps. So we went and had breakfast. We found a diner 15 minutes away from where we were staying that was open. We had massive meals, and started to explore the city.
The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City.
The Standard is at one end, and it continues north. It’s been reclaimed to have green space and art installations all the way along. There are some absolutely spectacular views.
In the afternoon we caught the subway to the 9/11 Memorial. Last time we were in New York the museum part wasn’t finished, neither was the new 1 World Trade Center.
Thursday
Again, we woke up early. This jetlag business is ridiculous. But, we got a good start on the day. We walked the High Line again, and found an ambulance.
The weather was miserable, but we wandered along the Hudson.
Later that morning, Chris left me to go to Windsor to catch up with an old friend. It was kind of a miserable day, so I had a bath.
It cleared a little in the afternoon, so I ventured out to explore. My first stop was Popeyes. It is soo much better than KFC.
After lunch I successfully navigated the subway solo. I didn’t even get lost. I made it down to Times Square.
Then it started raining.
So, I evacuated. This subway journey wasn’t nearly as troublefree: I needed to put money on my MTA card, and all of the subway entrances I went to didn’t have a ticket machine that took card. It was all a bit of a debacle. But, there’s something to be said for exploring in the rain.
But, eventually, I got my shit sorted and ended up at Chelsea. On my way back to the hotel, I found a wine bar: The Drunken Horse. So, I drank wine and ate fancy snacks.
On the way home, I got a cupcake and spicy meat in a sub of some description.
Friday
Friday turned out to be a beautiful day in New York City.
Chris finally made his way back to me. We went to Bubby’s for breakfast: a groovy diner-style café just down from the hotel. They served CBD-infused soda and juice. They had good coffee, and their chicken and waffles was to die for.
After breakfast we explored more of the Chelsea area. We wandered through some markets and bought some art. We walked down some scenic tree-lined streets, and found the apartment building from TV’s Friends. On the way back we went to the Chelsea market and got some food.
In the afternoon, we went to The Rage Cage. I don’t really know how to describe the nature of The Rage Cage, so here a video we made:
It was a hoot.
That evening we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was pretty hyped up, and honestly, it was disappointing.
Saturday
We went back to Bubby’s for breakfast today, because it was just that good.
From breakfast, we ventured from Chelsea down to the Financial District and Wall Street.
We continued our walk down to Battery Park. We found a squirrel. We found many squirrels.
We caught the Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island. We caught some great views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. And it was free!
That evening we went to The Australian, an Australian pub in the heart of NYC. It was Australia Day. It was PUMPING. Also, it made me realise what a small world it is. At the pub I saw my barista who works at the café just down from work. Apparently she works in NYC now. Half her luck!
Sunday
After a big few days our time in NYC came to an end. We did one last walk of the High Line, then into our limo and back off to the airport.
